Chef

You'll remember the hut everytime you look at them. That's the best part...

Well deserved gagger of a buck Jeremy. Congratulations!

Hope you are enjoying your day!

Persistence can pay big dividends! Great job putting the smack down on a nice buck. Even better you had the young guns to help with the pack out.

Very interesting stories with some good lessons taught. Angle compensation has always been a "mystery" to me. How much do I subtract from the yardage? How do I read them "fancy schmancy" cosine indicators and what to do with the reading? Well, playing around with Mr. Boyds' donated cosine indicating tool, I now have a much better understanding of how things work. Sure, it will take a little extra time, but will up your success at a kill shot tremendously. Here are two examples that he uses on his chart... Shooting angle of 45* at a ranged 400 yards = 280 yard actual shooting yards. Shooting angle of 60* at a ranged 500 yards = 250 yard actual shooting yards. Wow.

Same to you and yours and everyone in the Coueswhitetail.com family!

Nice job Coach! I'm sure your entire family enjoyed it and what a nice tradition to look forward to every year. Nice job on the paste and thanks very much for taking the time for pictures. I know how hard that can be sometimes as one is busy in the kitchen. Here are a few pictures from our last nights roast. It is smaller than yours, and like you, I didn't remember to take an after shot photo. LOL! Here is the roast as I was searing the outside... Here it is after patting the rub on and ready for the oven. I used olive oil, fresh minced garlic and onion, toasted ancho chili seeds, Guajillo chili powder, cacao powder, ground almonds, cracked pepper, and sea salt. BTW, Amanda called me the other day looking for pomace olive oil at the grocery store... She couldn't find anything labeled "pomace" as you usually only find that at restaurant supply stores in bulk. "light" or "extra light' olive oil is the same thing. the less dark green it is, the farther it is from being from the first press, or virgin olive oil.

Joeeden, The au jus is basically a flavored beef stock, so you got it down. Don't be afraid to taste it and add salt & pepper to taste etc. Best of luck and Merry Christmas!

Great job guys! Congratulations! Nice bulls.

I just wanted to add a story about the ram that got away. I've yet to see a game animal that acted as wiley as this bighorn did. For all you guys that say sheep are dumb, and easy to kill, you have finally met your match. This all started after spotting the ram on a North facing rocky mountain slope. He was feeding right to left, without a care in the world, about 600 yards away. I contacted Ernesto and Tommy to let them know I had a ram. I told them to come to my location as I would need help to keep an eye on him while Troy would close the distance for a shot. As I watched him through the glass, something caught his attention and he looked right at me. I immediately grabbed my GPS, hanging around my neck, thinking that the glare off the screen must have reflected a flash of light and spooked him. I was cursing at myself for making such a stupid mistake. Right about then, I hear loose rocks and gravel from behind me. It was Tommy, making his way towards me as I had asked. I turn to him and go "SHHHHH!"...knowing he was what the ram had heard. Tommy then tip toes to me and I get him on the ram. No sooner than we start whispering about the ram, here comes Ernesto...again breaking loose rocks and gravel. We quiet him down and by then, the ram moved to a location that partially covered his body. THE RAM WAS HIDING FROM US. I couldn't believe it! The ram was practically "peeking" around a rock outcropping looking at us across the valley. This went on for what seemed like an eternity until he disappeared from view. We start wondering where he might have gone. There was no way he left the canyon without us seeing him do so. So now what?! Well, Ernesto volunteers to get Troy into position 300 yards away from where we think the ram is. Then we play the waiting game. The waiting game starts to get old quick as light is fading. We had to force the issue. I break out my coyote howler and start a sequence of howls. We all watch through the glass, waiting for the ram to step out. Troy is in position and ready to take him...nothing happens. So I proceed to get louder and continue with several more sequences. Nada. Ernesto begins to look for rocks...no boulders, to throw down the ridge he's on, so the ram might come out. He successfully hurls huge chunks of rock down the canyon and we hear the loud boom as they explode upon impacting the bedrock below. Still, nothing. Now, Ernesto starts to doubt the ram is still there. He asks me repeatedly if the ram could have sneaked out a backdoor somewhere. I'm adamant and say again, that there is no way I could have missed him leave the area. No way at all. Ernesto decides to do his best impression of Spiderman and climb the rockface that is restricting his view of where the ram may be. A very dangerous feat in itself, as those who know the area can attest to. It takes Ernesto a while, but he gains some elevation and a different angle, then he confirms my words. The ram is hiding in a cave BEHIND the rock outcropping. Unbelievable. Light is fading and we have to force the issue even further. Tommy volunteers to walk towards the rams' hiding spot and get the ram to show himself. Troy is at the ready behind the rifle as Tommy makes his way down the canyon, and up the other side towards the ram. We figure, as long as Tommy stays below the ram, the ram won't spook too bad and may offer troy a shot. As Tommy closes the distance to 50 feet, the ram finally shows himself. The ram literally PEEKS around the rock. The ram now see's Tommy and the ram effortlessly climbs the rock outcropping 20 feet high. This is the part that will forever be engrained in all our memories. That ram was so majestic standing on top of that rock. With his dark chocolate hide reflecting the light and accentuating his muscle structure. It was awesome to see. Matthews Dad Phil, friend Mark, and Troy's Dad Mark can agree, since we watched in awe. He does present a shot, and well, the miss is high, and the ram lives another day. Troy gets that "practice shot" out of the way and well, the rest is history. Congrats again on you success later in the hunt Troy. As for Mathew and Ernesto...."You Da Man!" Click on the pic to enlarge. I do believe this is the same chocolate ram that Matthew had been keeping an eye on...

Dave, congratulations to your daughter Lilli! Great job and as others have said, the smile says it all! Way to go girl!

The dial portion should have a nut behind it that connects it to the needle probe. You can get a wrench or a pair of pliers and adjust the dial as needed. Yes, I first degrease my roasting pan, then deglaze the pan with a little red wine, making sure I scrape off all the goodies that stick to the bottom. (as long as they aren't burnt) I then add this to my sauce or au jus. The "fond" that sticks to the bottom of pans is nothing but flavor that is sometimes the basis for a lot of sauce recipes. You bring up a very good point and I have found my way around it. Instead of patting my seasonings onto the roast individually, I make a paste of sorts. I use both dry spices, fresh garlic, fresh herbs and a little olive oil. The dry spices absorb the oil and make a paste that I spread generously all over the roast, including the bottom. You can mix in a little cornstarch and this actually does two things...helps bind the paste together, and form a nice crust on the cooked roast. The seasonings are where you can get creative. A memorable one for me is one in which I used dried chipotle pepper flakes together with the rest of the ingredients. It gave the roast a very rich color and a spicy fragrant aroma that permeated the kitchen while it cooked. Again, be liberal with the seasonings, including the kosher or flaked sea salt. I look forward to hearing how yours turns out this year. Take some pics and share with us!

TIPS & TRICKS: If you enjoy implanting your meat with garlic cloves, try roasting the garlic first. It imparts a milder, nuttier flavor that you will love. Raw garlic seems to taste like boiled garlic and can be too strong. Another trick is to roast some garlic cloves and rub them onto the outside of the roast after you sear it, but before you season it. Season your roast lightly with kosher salt and pepper and pomace olive oil before searing. Season heavy with kosher salt, spices and herbs of your choice AFTER searing but before the oven. If you season heavy with herbs & spices before you sear, you will burn your crust and impart a bitter flavor. Burnt garlic and onion is bitter tasting. (applies to tip above) Don't use garlic salt, ever. Use garlic powder and kosher salt, separately. Many people season with salt, then add garlic salt on top of that. You can picture the saltiness achieved while not intended. Used fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder whenever possible. Use fresh cracked black pepper whenever possible instead of ground pepper. White pepper is stronger than black pepper. Extra virgin olive oil begins to smoke (decomposition occurs) at a lower temperature than pomace olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is made during the first press of the fruit. Virgin olive oil is from the second press, and so on. The lighter in green color the oil is, the farther away from the first press it is. Season your roast heavy, after all, once you slice it, you only end up with a small layer of crust on your plate. Prime grade beef has fat that tastes great when cooked. The fat imparts a clean flavor and is a tell tale sign of a good cut of beef. Take your roast out of the refrigerator for about an hour before starting the cooking process. That way, it isn't a cold piece of beef by the time it hits the oven. If you go straight from refrigerated temperature to oven temperature, the outside of the roast ends up more well done by the time the internal temperature desired is reached. Sometimes even burning your crust.[/size][/font]

You are basically done and if you are like me, are three sheets to the wind by now from drinking red wine as you cook. The beauty is in the journey right? Sit down, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Now, there seems to be some confusion on whether it's best to cook your roast traditionally, like I described, or letting it sit for hours in the oven after cooking at 500*f or so for a short time. The latter is a take on a method used when cooking in an Alto Sham "cook and hold" oven. While an Alto Sham will render an outstandingly juicy roast with very little shrinkage, this is not the oven that most people have in their homes. With that said, you will need to practice with this method numerous times according to how your oven cooks and how well the door seals. To be consistent with it is difficult with a home oven because roasts are rarely alike in size, so the end result can vary. You don't want to make this more confusing than it needs to be. Roasting in a smoker is similar in that you have to practice. Then you run into the same issues as above, in that you end up with different results with different sized roasts. Smoking is more time consuming as well, mainly because you have to keep a close eye on your smoker to maintain an even temperature and smoke. Albeit, you will end up with one of your best roasts if done right.

Now on to the cooking part! (Finally, I know) There seems to be confusion as to which is better, searing and roasting in a moderately heated oven, over not searing and blasting the roast in a very hot oven, then shutting the oven off. Guys and gals, you are doing basically the same thing. Searing that is. Although different ovens work and seal differently than others do, sous-chefs beware! Now what exactly does searing do? Does it seal in the juices? Not really. Does it impart flavor and a nice color to the exterior of the roast? YES! Now, let's pretend we all agree to sear the roast in a hot skillet. Use pomace olive oil, NOT extra virgin olive oil. Why? That's because extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoking temperature than the oil from a later press. (pomace) That way, you can crank the heat up in the pan, without smoking (burning) everyone out of the kitchen. You can even use a blend of safflower and pomace olive oil for an even higher smoking point. Save the extra virgin olive oil for your salads and such. Ok, so now we've seared the roast (all sides, even the ends) and are ready to season the roast and place it on a roasting pan WITH A RACK. Why a rack? That's because we want to keep the meat off of the roasting pan where the fat and drippings are. That way, the nice sear and crust that we worked so hard to achieve, stays all the way around the roast. Besides, if you get enough drippings, we end up "boiling" the bottom part of the roast and we don't want that, so we elevate the roast off the pan by using a rack. Now, place in a pre-heated oven (325*f-350*f) and cook, uncovered, until an internal temperature of around 120*f-125*f is achieved. Now, you want to be careful on this part, depending on the size of the roast. The larger the roast, the more "carry over cooking" you will get. What is "carry over cooking" you ask? That is the amount of cooking the roast continues to achieve even AFTER taken out of the hot oven. Yup, they do that. So, it only makes sense that the larger the piece of meat is, the more heat it will hold. Kind of like shooting a big bull elk and letting it sit overnight during the early archery hunt. You can picture in your mind how much heat the carcass will hold in comparison to a smaller Coues buck. So, if you have a large rib roast you are taking out of the oven, do so at a lower temperature than what you want, to allow for carry over cooking. Make sense? Good. *To take the temperature, use a calibrated meat thermometer. Digital or classic style doesn't matter as long as it's calibrated. An easy way to calibrate is to take a tall glass of ice water and probe the contents. Reading should be 32*f, or 212*f if reading boiling water. To check the internal temperature of your cooking roast, insert the probe into the deepest part of the roast. Make sure to note the location of the reading point on your thermometer!...some take the reading from the tip, while others take the reading somewhere halfway up the probe shaft. So you want to make sure THIS part of the probe is at the deepest part of your roast when taking the reading. Ok...moving on...to rest or not to rest...that is the question! DEFINITELY allow your roast to rest after taking it out of the oven. Again, the time to rest depends on the size of the roast. If unsure, rest for 15-20 minutes. Never, under any circumstances, slice or cut or poke into the roast until this time has passed. The resting process allows the juices to redistribute evenly amongst the cellular structure of the meat. Think if you will, that the juices are "boiling" inside this perfectly seared roast, and if you slice it, these bubbling juices will flow out and you will end up with a dry piece of meat. So you've let the "boiling" juices simmer down, and calm down, and "absorb" themselves back into their respective places inside the roast. You have successfully rested your roast, congratulations.

Ok, here is the nitty gritty when it comes to prime rib roasts. *The name "prime rib" is descriptive of the location of the cut of meat on the cow, and does not represent grade. I have cooked literally HUNDREDS of prime rib roasts in my lifetime. Some were great and some were so-so. The absolutely phenomenal roasts came about because I started with a spectacular grade of meat. Yes, this is one of the most important things to look for when cooking…quality of ingredients used. (I shop for meat like we analyze a trophy Coues rack) http://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading.html As you can see, Prime grade is best but only 2% of all beef in the U.S. is ever graded as Prime, so it carries a high price. In this case, you get what you pay for, and that is the prominent and even marbling of fat throughout the meat. This is what gives the meat its juiciness and flavor. (Just like a hamburger made with high fat content ground beef is juicy) Keep in mind; there are variances within these grades that make one cut better than the other, even within the same grade. After all, the "grading" is done with the side of beef whole, so in reality, the entire rib and loin sections aren't even cut into when grading. This means you can get a "Choice" grade cut of beef, which is very close to, if not "Prime", if you know what to look for. Ok, moving on… Next, I want to clear some things up concerning cooking methods. There are "dry heat" cooking methods, and there are "moist heat" cooking methods. Dry heat cooking is what you do when grilling, roasting in an oven, broiling, etc. Dry heat cooking methods cater to cuts of animals that are for the most part, tender and higher in fat content. Moist heat cooking is what you are doing when you braise a roast "covered" in an oven, or stewing (crock pot), etc. Moist heat cooking methods cater more towards cuts that are tougher and sinewy. They need longer cooking times at lower temperatures to break down the cell structure and make the meat tender. This technique generally accompanies the meat with a sauce or in a stew, to compensate for the lack of fat. (Juiciness) So, it is not necessary to cook a piece of meat that is tender and well marbled (like a rib eye) in a crock pot. To add, it is ludicrous to cut a "steak" off a shoulder (chuck) then grill it, expecting it to be tender and juicy. Ok, moving on even further… Go out and buy a nice prime rib roast (this is what they cut rib eyes out of BTW) and look for one that has nice marbling of fat throughout the eye of it. Try not to get one that has a huge "vein" of fat running through the center of it either. (aaahhh, that's what makes the difference in the grades!) Bone in or boneless, doesn't matter. Whatever strikes your fancy. Next, you may want to age it, but that write up is for another time, or remember "Google" is your friend.

Great pics, and thanks for sharing the adventure. I stand corrected on the Seris living on the island though. I go off of what my family tells me. Best of luck with the PSE crew. As for Bill, yeah, we're lucky to have him.

Received a complimentary copy of Elk Hunter today and I have to say I am very impressed. Contains stories of successful hunts from all over the West and many articles on tips from scoring elk to field care of meat. Just like Western Hunter, the quality itself is top notch. You guys hit a grand slam with this one. (I notice GRONG made the cover too with his gnarly bull)

Same to you Doug.

That's a monster shed from a monster buck! I'd be looking for the other side AND the buck!

Way to go Mark. Chris must be proud.

I keep coming back and checking out the pic of Peg slicing that bad boy! I absolutely LOVE the marbled cap on a ribeye and that roast's cap is HUGE! You got a good one! (Guess what I just decided to cook for Christmas! Lol!)

TJ! Great job with the cooking my man! That is absolutely mouth watering! So glad you two enjoyed it, as you definitely deserve it. I think you'll agree, there is nothing like that meat market for quality beef. Merry Christmas again and also thanks again for hosting the get together.

I was just talking about the Seris just the other night with family that was visiting from Hermosillo. My family used to fish commercially off the coast of Kino. (Amongst other locations) This was back when sea turtles were abundant and legal to take. Anyhow, the Seris have been known for a long time for their ironwood sculptures. Back then they were all carved by hand with simple tools and polished with rocks and glass. Nowadays, the sculptures are more "mass produced" with modern tooling and such. Well, I vividly remember as a little boy, riding bareback on a very large ironwood sculpture of a bighorn ram carved by the Seris. My family still is in possesion of it and it is actually signed by the arist. It is made out of a sigle piece of wood and is very heavy as you may imagine. This is one that I guess is from the sixties. I would love to own that someday.

Bill, Since you were involved during the sheep introduction down there, I have to ask, do you know Dr. Manuel J Chee? The Seris are on the island as well.